Best of Boston

A perennial after-work hangout for Financial District types, the Barking Crab is a funky, inexpensive joint with great seafood. The decor is confined to kitsch: crab pots full of Christmas lights, fake plastic lobsters, and water-worn oars. The food isn’t dressed up, but is delicious. Opt for a bucket of mussels and steamers, Jonah crab claws, or lobsters and hunker down to enjoy them at a picnic table on the water. Yes, you’ll get messy; yes, it is worth it.